Fishing Report for Week Ending April 3, 2011

Fishing Reportfor Week Ending April 3, 2011

SALTWATER

OVERVIEW – High winds and bad weather are still keeping anglers off the water most of the week so there’s been a low fishing effort again. Salmon fishingwas FAIR TOGOOD around Southern Vancouver Island. A slot limit of 45 cm to 67 cm is in effect now for wild (unclipped adipose fin) Chinook to protect the early Fraser River Chinook. Halibut fishing was GOOD with quite a few 20 to 70 lb fish caught.

We’ve just updated and changed our web site and if you visit our blog you can get reports and videos by our guides from their most recent trips!

Sooke – Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Anglers were catching winter springs near the Sooke Bluffs, the trailer park, Otter Point and Muir Creek. The majority of the salmon were in the 6 to 10 lb size range but there were some nice mid teens size hatchery springs caught as well. The odd larger “wild” salmon is also being caught. Most of the fish have been taken close to the bottom in 120 to 140 feet of water. The fish are being caught on all types of gear, although we would give the edge to bait (anchovies) this past week. Anchovies have been working best in glow or Purple Haze teaser heads. Hootchies and squirts were good in Purple Haze, Glow Below and Lemon Meringue. Green/Slow or Black/Glow spoons have also been good for springs.

HALIBUT – Some halibut were brought in from the Jordan River area but nothing too big. Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.Becher Bay – Salmon fishing was FAIR this past week. Talking to the marina, they said that most boats were fishing inside the bay due to the wind and weather. Nice springs were caught by Wolf and Frazer Islands. The springs have been found close to bottom in 120 to 160 feet of water and are typically 10 – 13 lbs in size and most have been fin clipped. The fish are being caught on all types of gear, but have shown a preference for anchovies. The best teaser heads for bait were the Bloody Nose and the Purple Haze. The best flashers have been the Purple Onion, Red Glow and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Tiger Prawn, Glow Below and Lemon Meringue. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs. A few halibut were also brought into Cheanuh Marina after being caught near the Race Rocks area.

Pedder Bay – Salmon fishing was FAIR this past week but once again not too many anglers went out. Of those boats that did go out, some springs up to 15 lbs were caught. The hot spots were Whirl Bay and near Church Rock. The fish are deep and depths of 100 to 180 feet are where anglers are finding the fish. The fish are not very selective and are being caught on all types of gear. Anchovy and herring have been very productive baits for springs. Bloody Nose and Purple Haze teaser heads have been the most popular when using bait and the best flashers have been the Purple Onion, Red Glow and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Purple Haze, Electric Chair and Lemon Meringue. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs.

HALIBUT – Halibut fishingwas GOOD with halibut coming up to 70 lbs coming into the marina over the week. Again weather was a factor many days. Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Victoria Waterfront – Salmon fishing was GOOD formuch of this past week when the weather wasn’t too windy. Anglers fishing at Constance Bank reported catching springs in the 4 to 17 lb size range and many of the bigger ones were hatchery fish. Closer in, we heard that springs have been taken all the way from the Albert Head to Clover Point. Wayne Zaccarelli got his limit of hatchery springs within a half hour of fishing off Esquimalt. Wayne landed a 16 lb spring on a Baitrix Tiny Strip and an 8 lb 12 oz spring on a 4” Tomic plug.

Like everywhere else, the fish are being caught on all types of gear. The fish have been feeding on both herring and needlefish. Anchovies and herring are still top producers this time of year for springs too, especially in the medium and large sizes. The best teaser head colors are the Bloody Nose and the Purple Haze. The majority of anglers though are fishing squirts and spoons along the bottom at 120 to 160 feet. Good flashers have been the Green/Glow and Purple Onion. The seals are still causing problems in many locations.

HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was GOOD this past week but the weather was rough on many days. No “barn doors” this week but nice eating hali’s up to 60 lbs. Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Oak Bay – Salmon fishing had been FAIR on the Flats but the weather kept boats off the water most of the week. Anglers had been catching winter springs up to 16 lbs while fishing close to the bottom where needlefish are the major food source. The best bet is trolling right on bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water with squirts, Baitrix tiny strip, small anchovy or Coho Killer spoons. Good squirts were the Electric Chair, Cricket and Purple Haze. With spoons, 3½” or 4” Gypsy, Titans, Coyotes and Coho Killers in Cop Car or Silver/Green colors also catch a lot of fish in Oak Bay. Glow in the dark flashers would be the best choice for springs now.

HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was SLOW due to the weather. Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.Sidney – Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week and the weather was poor on the weekend. The best spots are around by Coal Island Sidney Spit, but the crab trap lines around the spit have been causing problems for fishiermen. The best depths have been from 90 feet to 120 feet. Fishing right on the bottom is your best bet. Spoons have been good with 3.5” or 4” Green and Glow colors producing best. The best soft plastic lures to use for springs now are the J-79, Mint Tulip and Purple Haze Squirts. Anchovies and Strip are also working. The Sidney Anglers held a halibut derby on Sunday, but the only halibut caught were taken on Saturday, the day before the derby!

Notable Catches – Wayne Zaccarelli got his limit of hatchery springs within a half hour of fishing off Esquimalt. Wayne landed a 16 lb spring on a Baitrix Tiny Strip and an 8 lb 12 oz spring on a 4” Tomic plug. William Reid had a good day on Sunday catching a 35 lb halibut and an 8.5 lb salmon. If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

FRESHWATER

OVERVIEW – Trout fishing has been FAIR on the local lakes and bass fishing is SLOW. When the weather warms things should pick up. The new fishing regulations synopsis is now available and there are new changes for many locations on Vancouver Island. Be sure to pick up a copy before going fishing. Also, check out our blog and facebook page for links to recent videos and reports from our staff. If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.Cowichan River – The Cowichan River water level is fairly high from recent rains, around 1.6 meters near Duncan and to 1.9 meters near the lake. There are lots of steelhead in the river and skilled anglers had been hooking good numbers of fish. However, a lot of the steelhead now are mending kelts. Fly anglers have been doing well in the top end of the river on browns, rainbows and steelhead. You can find fresh fish the entire length of the river and the trout fishing has been fair at the top end. Good lures to fish are Spin ‘n Glo’s, Corkies, Gooey Bobs and the always reliable Pink Worm. For fly anglers the Wooly Buggers and Egg flies have been working well.

The new fishing regulations synopsis is now available and there are new changes for the river. Be sure to pick up a copy before going fishing in April.

Local Lakes – Troutfishing is PICKING UP on most lakes in the South Island area and is looking better with recent releases of catchable rainbows into local lakes. The Vancouver Island Hatchery reported that they have started stocking Island lakes on March 1st with Fraser Valley Catchable Rainbows - average size from 229 to 250 grams or just over half a pound. On March 1st they released 3,284 trout into Shawinigan Lake and 600 trout into Dougan Lake. On March 2nd they released 500 trout into Chemainus Lake and 1,000 trout into Fuller Lake. On March 3rd they released 2,000 trout into Elk Lake, 1,222 into Long Lake and 650 into Green Lake. On March 7th they released 2,000 trout into Langford Lake and 1,900 into Prospect Lake. On March 9th they released another 2,000 trout into Elk Lake and 250 into Lookout Lake. On March 10th they released 1,000 trout into Thetis Lake and 500 into Glen Lake. On March 11th they released another 1,033 trout into Fuller Lake. On March 14th, they released 1,500 trout into Langford Lake, 1,000 into Durrance Lake and 250 in Colwood Lake. On March 16th, 500 trout were released into Matheson, Kemp and Spectacle Lakes. On March 24th, 1,656 trout were released into Elk Lake.

The biggest trout continue to be caught at Elk Lake with Langford Lake being your next best bet to hook into a real “lunker”. With the water temperature still low and the trout not being very active, most anglers are catching fish down deep on either Powerbait or Gulp eggs, worms, chironomids, Wooly Buggers or leech pattern flies fished close to the bottom. White, Fluorescent Pink and Chartreuse Powerbait Eggs have been popular baits recently. Trollers have been doing OK with a variety of lures. The Rhys Davis Baitrix Trout lures and UV Mini Strip Teasers work well for larger fish. Other good trolling lures are the Apex Trout Killers with the police car one of the best and the black with silver glitter spots taking second place. Flatfish and/or Kwikfish have also been effective in sizes 7 and smaller in Frog, Yellow with Red Spots or Blue/Silver. Smaller Rapalas in Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout patterns also work well. Lastly, Willow Leaf Lake trolls with a worm-tipped GIBBS Wedding Band will almost always catch some fish. By the way, all wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

Bass Fishing – Bass fishing was SLOW this past week. Slower presentations such as soft plastics are working as the water cools. Your best bet is fishing tube jigs and drop-shot plastic worms and sculpin imitations. Langford Lake, Shawnigan Lake, Prospect Lake and Elk and Beaver Lakes are the best local bass lakes. St. Mary’s Lake on Salt Spring Island is also a great lake for bass fishing. As winter approaches, look for the fish to move into deeper water and suspend. They might become less active and take a little more “coaxing” to bite.Notable Catches – If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

FISH TIP OF THE WEEK

Whenever you go salmon fishing with frozen anchovies, sardines or herring, it’s a good idea to take along different sizes of bait. That way, you can match the size of bait that you are using to the size found naturally occurring at that time at your favorite fishing spot.

Island Outfitters Leader Board – 2011

Halibut

1) 231.4 lbs – Terry Zarelli – Race Rocks area – Octopus- March 25th

Salmon

We are now waiting for the first big springs of the year to be weighed in at the store. Maybe you will be bringing in the biggest one this year!

2011 DERBIES and EVENTS

Island Outfitters starts and ends the year with the free for fun and prizes Salmon and Halibut Leader Board. Simply weigh your catch in at Island Outfitters and the top five fish in each category on December 31st wins a special prize. Everybody who enters a fish gets a prize! Maybe it will be you bringing in the big one!Please let us know as early as possible about your up coming events in 2011!

Saturday, April 9th. 5th Annual Elk Lake Take a Kid Fishing Derby. Tickets are Adults - $25, Children under 16 - $10. First place prizes of $1,000 for the largest tout and the largest bass. This derby has live release weigh boats and weigh-station located strategically on the lake. For more info contact us at 350-475-4969.

April 10th: The Sidney Anglers’ Premier Derby: Heaviest salmon wins $200, second $150, third $100, fourth $75, fifth $50, heaviest fish (juniors only) $25 and a Draw prize of $25. Open to paid up members only.

April 14th to 17th: Island Outfitters 17th Anniversary Sale: Ourstorewide annual sale with LOTS of great deals and bargains.

May 14th and 15th: The15th Annual Just for the Halibut Derby. First prize is $7,500 cash, 2nd prize is $2,500, and 3rd prize is $1,000 cash. A hidden weight “Bonus” prize is sponsored by SG Power. Tickets are available at Island Outfitters, Pedder Bay Marina or Cheanuh Marina. Call 250-475-4969 for more information.

May 15th: The Sidney Anglers’ Spring Derby: Heaviest salmon wins $200, second $150, third $100, fourth $75, fifth $50, heaviest fish (juniors only) $25 and a Draw prize of $25. Open to paid up members only.

June 12th: The Sidney Anglers’ President’s Derby: Heaviest salmon wins $200, second $150, third $100, fourth $75, fifth $50, heaviest fish (juniors only) $25 and a Draw prize of $25. Open to paid up members only.

June 18th – 19th: 25th Annual Alpine Juan de Fuca Salmon Derby -- The Island’s largest invitational derby. $80,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded. Tickets are $90 per rod, which includes a derby shirt, hat, and entrance to the awards banquet. For information on the derby visit the web site www.jdfsalmonderby.com or call (250) 478-6153.

June 26th: The Sidney Anglers’ BBQ & Picnic: Open to paid up members only.

September 11th: The Sidney Anglers’ Roundup Derby: Heaviest salmon wins $200, second $150, third $100, fourth $75, fifth $50, heaviest fish (juniors only) $25 and a Draw prize of $25. Open to paid up members only.